


Unexpected item in bagging area

by fairyten



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Cashier Johnny, Customer Ten, First Kiss, First Meetings, Johnny is a heartthrob, M/M, Making Out, Mysterious ten, Only a little spicy, Pining, Strangers to Lovers, Yumark if you squint, Yuta and Taeil are the best coworkers, it’s cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:02:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25155934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairyten/pseuds/fairyten
Summary: if you’d have asked 16 year old johnny what future, grown up, responsible and super cool johnny would be doing with his precious time, paying his way through uni by working at his local tesco’s, wouldn’t quite be what he had in mind. however, the cute catlike boy who visits the shop every day without fail, may just be worth it all.
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Mark Lee/Nakamoto Yuta
Comments: 14
Kudos: 136





	Unexpected item in bagging area

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer- i’ve never actually worked at tesco’s, but if you were to slack off as much as the boys do in this fic i’m pretty sure you’d get fired. don’t follow their example!! with that being said, enjoy! (also for anyone who doesn’t have them, jaffa cakes are a british food. i’m 100% sure that arguing over if they’re a cake or a biscuit has ended many british friendships)
> 
> thanks to erin for being the reason i wrote this, without your insistent chanting of “johnny go to tesco’s” i don’t think this fic would exist! thank you for everything, we will read this to our animals at our cottage in the future.

“all i’m saying is, if it was a cake, they would’ve put it in the cake aisle.” johhny declared with his arms up, his hand clenched around a half eaten apple.

the age old jaffa cake dispute, causing divides since the beginning of time. cake or biscuit? who is johnny suh to decide? 

a chorus of groans erupted in the break room. 

“looks like you really are all brawn, no brains. If they were biscuits, they’d call them jaffa biscuits wouldn’t they big boy?” yuta, his coworker/bane of his existence remarked. 

yuta and johnny had a very interesting friendship. johnny found yuta absolutely adorable, in the most painful way.

taeil from customer assistance laughed dryly, “careful yuta, you might get an apple core to the head.”

“i’ve had worse.”

if you’d have asked 16 year old johnny what future, grown up, responsible and super cool johnny would be doing with his precious time, paying his way through uni by working at his local tesco’s, whilst trying to balance his coursework wouldn’t quite be what he had in mind. sure, it wasn’t terrible. the pay was okay and his coworkers even okayer. however, johnny had always been ambitious. his dreams were hung high above his head which, given his freakishly tall stature, meant some things were just out of his reach. for the time being, johnny had to settle for being ogled by middle aged women whilst he stacked shelves.

apple long gone, johnny wiped off the slightly sticky residue on his fingers onto yuta’s sleeve. yuta thrashed angrily, shooting johnny a deathly glare and an even more deathly middle finger to follow it. 

unbeknownst to the (well deserved) murder yuta was currently plotting against him, johnny locked his belongings safe in his locker before heading back out to the shop floor.

the branch he worked at was decent in size. the kind where hungry students scamming the meal deal system and adults working through their weekly grocery lists alike could shop in harmony, or as harmonious as a tesco’s could be. generic music played from a speaker tucked in between two boxes of own brand snacks. johnny tapped his foot to it as he guarded the self checkout station. he’d heard the current song playing enough times he’d surely be able sing it backwards and in his sleep, the perks of retail.

his co-workers reckoned johnny helped to liven the shops atmosphere. yuta was sure half of their revenue was brought in due to the eye candy that was johnny suh. 

“the old ladies like a good hunk of beefcake stare at whilst they do their shopping!” 

johnny did fill out his blue uniform remarkably well. the sleeves clung irresistibly to his arms and his name badge balanced right on top of his left pec. perhaps that gave johnny some relief each time a customer seemed to think his eyes were in his (albeit large) chest. ‘’maybe they just want to know my name!” he snapped at his colleagues teasing.

whether he liked to admit it or not, the constant heart eyes he received did not go unnoticed in his brain. if he spent a half of his morning preening himself in the bathroom mirror, that was for his knowledge only. he certainly took his time smearing fancy products across his tanned skin and running his long fingers through the mop of dark hair atop of his head. his new perfume, (he spent most of his last paycheck on) gave him a warm oolang scent, johnny was the epitome of a dreamboat.

although, it wasn’t really the flocks of women johnny was trying to impress.

there were three constants at his job. his middle aged fangirls, yuta’s witty remarks and the cat-like customer who caught johnny’s eye on the daily.

despite his frequent visits, the boy had remained pretty much a mystery. he was dainty, but commanded attention, (especially johnny’s), as if he was the centre of gravity. he had grown out blonde hair. sometimes he scraped it up into a little bun on the top of his head, johnny thought he looked especially cute on those days. it’s fair to say he had developed a slight obsession with the petite boy. not an obsession, a fascination. oh god. now he was the middle aged woman…

as johnny leant against an out of order self-serve machine, he watched the subject of his boredom at work induced daydreams slink past him. as his eyes practically burned holes into the back of the poor boys head, he craved the privilege of seeing him up close. johnny would pay to take one glance at any pores on his gorgeous slope of a nose.

the cat-like boy left sooner than he arrived, never one to stick around. johnny, friendly as ever, had managed to become acquainted with most of their regulars, all except him. he was an enigma; a ghost dressed in oversized cardigans and adorned with necklaces.

pretty, johnny hummed as his eyes traced the boy clutching his tote bag and leaving the self service checkouts.

he instantly felt a yuta shaped body press up against his side. “don’t cry big boy, he’ll be back tomorrow for you to gawk at.” yuta cooed, screwing his face into a sarcastic pout.

“i don’t gawk, i’m just making sure he doesn’t steal! you can’t let the regulars lure you into a false sense of security, he’ll bite when i’m least expecting it.” 

“your kitty can bite?” yuta gasped.

johnny kicked him in the shin. ever the dramatic, yuta grabbed his leg in ‘pain’, a trick he’d learnt from johnny’s constant clownery. johnny took a swift scan of the checkout area to make sure no customers were on-looking before silently mouthing profanities at the other.

“even if he did steal, it’s not like you’d pull him up on it johnny boy”

“of course not, down with the large corporations, capitalism is a disgusting social construct.” 

“you’re literally a walking tesco’s advert.”

“and you’re a slacker, don’t you have shelves to stack?” johnny’s snaps at yuta always lacked any real poison behind his voice.

“what happened to bros before hoes?” yuta chuckled as he unstuck himself from johnny’s side. off went the whirlwind that was nakamoto yuta, leaving johnny alone to twiddle his thumbs and approve the purchase of alcohol in peace and quiet.

by the end of his shift, johnny craved the comfort of his bed. ever since he scraped together his paychecks to buy an actual bed frame instead of settling for a mattress on his floor, he’d been sleeping like a baby. 

some days after work, he’d get something to eat with taeil, or yuta, or both if he had enough brain capacity left. however, today he had to turn down their pleading. through his exhausted mind haze he heard yells of: “oreo mcflurry”, “80 pieces for £5.99”, and a long whine of “pleaseeee” (coming from yuta of course), being thrown about by the two boys. judging by his lack of capability to comprehend simple sentences, johnny declared he was K.Oed for the day. 

“you don’t even do much, what’s got you so worn out?” taeil questioned, staring intensely at johnny’s slightly puffy face and distant eyes.

“being a big sexy sex-god is very draining, both mentally and physically” yuta said whilst ruffling a hand through johnny’s hair, faking sympathy, as he grabbed taeil by the arm to drag him away. 

“bye cutie, we’re getting mcflurries!” yuta hollered.

“dream sweetly about your catboy” taeil added whilst being whisked away. he’s been spending too much time with yuta, johnny internally sighed.

☆ 

as he pushed open his room door, johnny let out a large sigh he’d been holding in all day. never had he been so happy to breathe the sweet air of home sweet home, even if it smelt oddly of farts and cologne.

usually he wouldn’t be so drained after a day at work, it wasn’t a particularly hard graft for a somewhat superhumanly fit person like himself. however, to tell the truth, the crush he’d been harbouring on the mysterious boy had been weighing johnny down for weeks. he quickly became hot all over at the mere thought of him. johnny was in pretty deep for a seemingly trivial and shallow crush. after all, it was based on appearance alone. what if the cat boy was an axe murderer and the fluffy grandma cardigans were all part of his illusive disguise? 

he felt like a teenager, heart fluttering and brain clouded with images of a pretty boy. what was next, writing diary entries about him in the secret passcode journal he inherited from his cousin a few years back? (the secret passcode is gabe itch, he really is a teenager.)

after microwaving a painfully typical uni student meal, he decided to get an early night’s sleep. as most ‘early night’s’ go, he laid awake illuminated by his phone screen hours later. johnny had taken up a new hobby in his free time, professional instagram stalking. since he sadly had no knowledge of his mystery boys name, he’d decided at 2am one morning to begin a virtual search for his sweetheart. up until now, his efforts had no rewards.

as he was deep into the following of one of his highschool acquaintances, he clicked onto the next profile in his hunt, @tenlee_1001. 

johnny physically felt his heart shrivel up, melt and leak through his bedsheet.

a panicked heat rose up the back of his neck and his fingers became uncomfortably clammy. he was staring at the boy, ten, in all his earth shattering, gravity controlling and johnny ruining glory.

like it’s owner, his instagram page was a sight to behold. it had an assortment of artsy filtered photos of the boy, cat pictures, sleepy selfies and many drawings. he was talented and gorgeous. any inch of sanity johnny previously had crumbled away. his mind was racing a mile a minute. sweet jesus. was he a tattoo artist? could he tattoo johhny? that’d be hot, he gasped. does he have tattoos? that’d be even hotter.

he previously thought that seeing ten’s profile would help with his obsession, maybe it would give him some closure? however, it only intrigued johnny further. 

as he finally started to settle down, his mind wouldn’t stop chattering. he had to make himself known to ten, but how? his extroverted personality and love for eye contact could make him seem slightly intense for first meetings. the last thing he wanted to do was scare the poor boy away. to put an end to his current restlessness, he decided this was a problem for future johnny. i wonder if he’ll play a part in my future?

☆ 

“you look rough!” yuta examined johnny, ever the charmer.

“couldn’t sleep” johnny hummed back, barely looking up from his phone.

“too busy thinking about your lover boy?” taeil teased, he really had been spending too much time with yuta.

“yeah, actually. i found him on instagram” johnny was always honest, but this, even for his standards, was humiliating to admit to his colleagues.

both of his coworkers climbed over each other for the chance to peek at his phone screen. when he loaded up the profile, they both sounded a chorus of ‘oooh’s’ and ‘ahhh’s’. yuta made some comments about how he was “ten in the face, slim in the waist” and taeil cooed at a picture of him pressing a kiss onto his cats face, not missing his chance to make a johncat joke. johnny was proud his taste in men was well received. again, he felt like a teenager, talking about his little crush with his friends. 

“well, what are you going to do now big guy?”

“probably what he normally does, check him out at the checkout” taeil said whilst johnny felt his eyes roll to the back of his head. 

“seriously! everytime i come see you afterwards you’re always so flustered, it’s embarrassing really. grow some balls and talk to him” tough love coming from yuta.

“isn’t that unprofessional? i’m sure asking him out would break like, 10 rules.” johnny bluffed, clearly trying to avoid the growing problem in his heart.

“since when have you ever cared about actually working? you just stand about looking like a greek god” yuta retaliated.

deep down johnny knew yuta was right, the only way to move forward with his life was to spark a conversation between him and his stupidly cute crush. not today though, johnny thought. definitely not today. oh god, not today! johnny needed a good couple more days ogling and planning his plan of attack before any advances could be made.

his slow and steady plan was almost blown out of the water later than afternoon. 

oh lord. oh lord above. ten had pink hair. oh god, johnny was a very weak bisexual man.

he whisked through the self-checkout, as efficient as ever. except the long mop on his head was dyed a dusty pink colour. it looked pretty temporary, so johnny's heart ache probably wouldn’t become a permanent thing. however, god did he look precious. as sweet as any boy could be, the rosy locks fell softly, he looked absolutely eatable, johnny wanted to bite his cheeks. they were so round, he was like a marshmallow. it took every ounce of his self control not to bound over like an excitable puppy and pinch the soft skin under his fingers. 

that night, johnny fell asleep to thoughts of flushed cheeks and soft touches.

‘i saw you in a dream, you came to me, you were the sweetest apparition such a pretty vision.’

☆ 

johnny’s week went by slower than usual. by the time his last shift of the week rolled around, he was more than ready for a weekend of pure nothingness. 

he ended up being forced to cover yuta’s evening shift on friday, that was never fun. he hated evening shifts with a passion, though he could never deny yuta of the chance to meet his lover mark. the boy had an insane schedule, yuta often felt inferior to the younger boy in the employment sector. mark, the sweet soul, was always sure to nip yuta’s rare insecurities in the bud. johnny was slightly envious of their flowering love. 

the friday evening shift consisted of approving purchases of generous amounts of alcohol for university parties, that was pretty much it. by 9pm johnny had lost hope, the hours were moving by so slowly!

when the clock hit 9:30, johnny had to double take. it couldn’t be could it? he never comes in this late…

surely enough, johnny wasn’t having a bordemn induced hallucination. ten had just walked into the self-checkouts. it made no sense! ten was an afternoon shopper, who did johnny save in his past life to be blessed with ten’s presence in this unsavoury hour? 

upon further inspection, johnny realised the boy looked almost rundown. his hands grasped at his cardigan sleeves forming sweet little sweater paws. his under-eyes were prominent and puffy and his nose was damp and shiny. johnny felt a pang of sympathy in his heart. he wanted to protect the somewhat stranger with all his efforts. 

unexpected item in bagging area.

huh?

johnny was brutally ripped from his daydream by the sound of a sharp computer automated voice. 

unexpected item in bagging area. remove this item before continuing.

the only person at the checkout was ten. was johnny’s thief theory true?

unexpected item in bagging area.

“can you please come end my suffering?” a gloomy voice said.

“sorry about that, i’ll be right over!” johnny quickly replied. he chanted be professional in his head like a mantra, customer service persona quickly taking over. oh my god he just spoke to ten. professional! 

johnny bounded over and typed his details into the machine, avoiding all eye contact with his walking daydream. the boys basket contained: a can of salt and vinegar pringels, a belated birthday card and a pack of 4 ball point pens in different colours. all you need for a good friday night!

“thanks, johnny” ten nodded. up close, johnny could see his eyelashes clumping together with tears. 

“how to do you know my name?” johnny spluttered.

“your badge.” ten gestured to the circle adorning johnny’s chest. if the boy didn’t look so delicate right now, he may have popped one at the mere connotation of ten acknowledging his pecs. but johnny was a decent human being who was capable of reading the room.

he was such a decent human being in fact, that he couldn’t stop himself checking in on the boy. burning desire or not, johnny would never forgive himself if he didn’t put his crush aside and comfort him.

“is everything okay?”

ten simply hummed in dismissal. curse you johnny and your stupidly big heart!

“actually, i told myself i’d get better at this whole expressing your feelings thing.” ten backtracked.

“take it away!”

“i’m not doing the best, as you can tell. nothing major. i can’t believe i’m spilling my heart out to the hot tesco’s worker.” ten threw away that last line incredibly quickly, johnny didn’t hear him. 

not wanting to overstep his boundaries, despite how much he wanted to talk more to the boy, johnny nodded awkwardly and stepped back as he let ten scan the rest of his items.

“how long till your shift ends?” ten asked whilst feeding a crumpled £5 note into the machine. 

after checking the clock johnny replied with “ten more minutes i’d say, the evening shift ends soon.”

a small part of his brain thought ten would follow this answer by whisking him away into the night, he’d always been a maladaptive daydreamer. he had to remind himself he couldn’t be disappointed when ten smiled his way, packed up his (very random) items, turned on his heels and left. he could still feel the sting in his heart as he rubbed his temples and threw his head back in frustration. he cursed himself for not sneakily smelling the boy, then at least he could carry tens scent around in his laughable, heavy heart. 

Johnny: bruh u will never guess who i just ran into..  
Johnny: yuta?   
Johnny: nakamoto reply to me, i’m literally astral projecting right now.  
Yuta: sorry, can’t talk i’m enjoying a fine meal<3  
Johnny: ugh, tell mark i said hi.

☆ 

johnny pulled on his brown trench coat that went well past his knees, grabbed his minimal belongings and left as quick as he could. 

one tiny interaction with ten was enough to drain his extrovert metre for the whole week. maybe even the month. he usually had no issues in taking new people under his wing, but a short conversation with the blonde boy was enough to make johnny forget his fundamental social skills. you know, the ones he’s been developing since the age of 4?

as johnny dipped outside he realised it was probably too warm for his signature trench coat. even into the late hours of the night, the air had an uncomfortable summer dampness to it. maybe that reflected johnny’s current mental state. he could feel the onset of a headache thrum on his forehead. i miss ten.

johnny had to double check he definitely didn’t say that out loud as he heard a rustle coming from the smoking area or the ‘baccy shack’ as yuta charmingly christened it. 

“are you going to jump me? be my guest. i’m broke and frankly too tired to care, have fun with the £3.75 in my bank account.” johnny whined, already reaching for his wallet.

“you know for such a big guy, you don’t put up much of a fight” a faceless voice remarked.

“i pick my battles” johnny retorted, trying to seem unphased despite the heavy feeling in his gut.

more noises came from inside the shack. had the faceless voice taken his colleagues hostage? was johnny next? he didn’t want to peek around the corner to check, ignorant bliss had never sounded as good to his brain.

after a few more laboured seconds, to johnny’s surprise, ten peeked out from behind the wall of the shack. 

“so you are a criminal!” johnny pointed dead on at the blonde boy. 

“what? no! i’m only messing with you. i thought you’d have picked up on that already.” ten mocked.

“in my defence, you were pretty convincing” johnny huffed, shaking away thoughts of being attacked outside of a tesco store. that would be a memorable way to go.

“pretty convincing, or just pretty?” ten wiggled his eyebrows in a comic way. johnny had to choke back a laugh at the small boys unexpected boldness. 

as ten stepped into his peripheral vision, johnny noticed yet again just how sleepy he looked. compared to his sharp wit, he radiated innocence. johnny wanted to get to know him, maybe kiss his cute pink lips too, but mainly get to know him.

“did you wait for me?” johnny asked gently, unsure whether they were on a ‘teasing is acceptable’ basis.

“maybe” ten broke his facade. johnny could clearly see he wasn’t a tesco’s criminal or a complete casanova; he was just a cardigan wearing young adult with the inability to hide the very obvious heart eyes he was wearing. 

“you already know my name but, let me introduce myself properly this time. i’m johnny!” 

“i’m ten” i know johnny thought.

“i’m sorry if you think it’s weird that i waited here for you. i started to walk home, but i felt like i had to turn back, it was like some weird force pulling me back to tesco. it’s a mix of me desperately not wanting to go back home and wallow in self pity, and wanting to see you for real now that i have the opportunity.” ten rambled, barely pausing for breath.

“i’m glad you came back.” johnny comforted, letting him know the truth.

“i know you watch me.”

oh.

“oh.”

the change in atmosphere was immediate. it was like a switch flipped between the two boys.

“it’s hard not to notice. i can always see you out of the corner of my eye, after a couple of weeks i could practically see the drool pouring out of your mouth. normally i try to dress up a bit for you, make the effort to see your pupils dilate twenty sizes. i even dyed my hair with you in mind. it’s typical the first time i get to actually speak to you i look like i just got reversed over by a long haul truck.” 

“you look huggable, just a bit worn out!” johnny protested, lightly pouting against tens previous remark.

“well you would say that, goo goo eyes.”

“seriously, you help me get through my shifts! at this point i owe you half of my wages as a thank you gift.” he figured there was no use hiding the truth at this point, ten was obviously a fan of honesty.

“i’ll have to hold you to that one. you know, you’re not too bad yourself. sometimes i check you out as i’m leaving. i remember thinking, i don’t mind if my every move is watched by him! it’s like the sexiest version of stalking.” johnny quickly learnt ten wasn’t one to jump around the truth. 

this was all happening awfully fast, johnny felt like his actual soul was going to implode at any second. despite tens brave words, he could tell the boy wasn’t putting up any kind of front. he was talking to the one and only ten in all of his unedited glory. it was nice to be able to gauge the smaller’s personality so quickly, ten was an open book he didn’t want to put down. he hadn’t had a meeting as truthful as this in a very long time. he was talking about attraction like an (somewhat) adult; it definitely differed from the months of preteen behaviour johnny had exhibited.

“i’m really into you” johnny bashfully admitted. “i like your hair, your nose, your cheekbones, your clothes and now i like the way you talk.” johnny leant back against the shelter wall. he couldn’t believe those words just left his mouth, ten had him completely in a trance. his brain to mouth filter had been temporarily destroyed. 

“i’m glad to hear that. i’m jealous you’ve been able to study me for so long when i only got passing looks at you. i must say, i’m sad to see what i’ve been missing out on all this time. you’re pretty.”

pretty. pretty wasn’t a word johnny was often called. most people settled for fit or buff. johnny was pretty. he had a wide smile and heart shaped lips. even his deep philtrum was unexplainably pretty. the previously unheard word buzzed around his head and made his (pretty) eyes crinkle at the edges.

“stop looking so kissable.” ten shook his head. “is this okay?” he made eye contact with johnny as he asked. when johnny feverishly nodded, ten traced the elders prominent jawline with his fingers. he took his thumb and padded it swiftly across johnny's bottom lip, johnny instinctively opened his mouth to the touch before clamping it shut in a wave of embarrassment. 

“i cant kiss you, you’re sad. i don’t know what’s bothering you but i can’t kiss a sad person without talking out your feelings first.” johnny tapped gently at ten’s head to punctuate this as if saying, what’s going on up there you unpredictable human being. 

“you’re a gentleman too? ugh, kiss me already!” ten had completely lucked out with this one. 

“no can do, mr down in the dumps.”

“johnny, i promise i’m okay. i’ve just been working hard this week, it’s overwhelming, but i’m not sad. here, i’ll prove it to you!” 

ten reached into his ‘fighting animal testing’ tote bag and pulled out the belated birthday card he bought earlier, handing it to johnny.

“it was my friend xiaojun’s birthday earlier this week, but i’ve been so caught up in everything i forgot. i’m going to his house tomorrow for a belated party. if i’m happy enough to down cider in a room full of rowdy university students, i’m happy enough to kiss the pretty boy who’s been pining after me for months.” tens eyes kept flitting down to johnny's lips as he spoke.

“you make a strong argument ten. just take it easy okay?” he handed the smaller boy back his card. once it was safely back in ten’s bag, he petted his hand at ten’s hair. it was just as soft as it looked. all his deepest wishes were coming true, he had to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

after smoothing down the hair on the top of his head, johnny grabbed at the slightly shorter hairs at the nape of ten’s neck. ten blinked slowly like a cat being scratched. johnny pressed his palm at the back of ten’s neck, slowly inching him forward until the gap between them eventually closed.

as far as first kisses go, this one was slightly deeper than normal. that was either because of the months of waiting and watching, or ten’s sucker of a week. either way, both boys easily melted into their languid kiss. johnny worked into ten’s mouth like he was made of glass, it made ten’s heart pound heavily in his chest, the slow drags of johnny’s newly introduced tongue melting him from the inside out. 

as their current pace got tedious, ten switched things up. he hoped in the future he’d have more time to truly take his time relishing in johnny’s drawn out kisses; but for the time being, ten wanted to heat things up slightly. he diligently began nipping on johnny’s lower lip, tugging on it and watching it bounce back into place. johnny’s supple lip turned raw quickly, to which ten licked a cooling strip across it as a halfhearted apology. 

johnny rubbed circles into tens hips, easing his fingers under ten’s cute cardigan. johnny liked to touch, he was making up for all the lost time his hands had spent not on ten’s warm skin. he traced across the plane of ten’s body: pressing into the ridges of ten’s spine, squeezing gently on the side of his neck and tilting his chin to kiss further into the welcoming hotness of his mouth. ten felt dizzy under johnny’s skilful yet effortless touches, he preened into every touch and let out a choked and throaty noise at a particularly pleasing lap of johnny’s tongue.

unlike johnny’s precise moves, ten kissed eagerly. the way he unabashedly sucked at johnny’s tongue and teased him by pulling back for a couple of seconds, before diving back with even more intent, had johnny in a frenzy. this was not taking it easy.

“hey doll, we should cool it down a bit” johnny said, staring at ten with blown pupils after a finishing press of his lips. his brain didn’t really fancy getting freaky in the tesco staff area, no matter how much his body liked that idea.

ten clicked his tongue in agreement and shimmied down the ridden up hem of his cardigan. johnny breathed out a quiet “thank you”, of course he’d be the kind to thank people after making out ten mentally quipped.

a part of johnny's brain thought they may have kissed too quickly. at the end of the day, he barely knew ten despite looking from afar for countless months. but he was a uni student, and that’s what they do right? nothing forms a genuine connection like literally having your tongue in someone else’s mouth (gross). he just had to hope ten didn’t just see him as a kiss and run. johnny really wanted to spend time with the boy, and kiss him some more. he just didn’t know where to go from here without making a complete fool of himself.

“hi” ten giggled, his face look more cheerful now. as he smiled, johnny noticed little dimples under his eyes that looked like whiskers. he was a catboy, johnny was lightheaded. 

“sorry for the slightly… intense meeting. i hope i haven’t misread the room. or should i say car park” ten ruffled his faded pink hair as he gained some composure. johnny looked down at him with the warmest eyes ten had ever seen, warm enough to melt away any fears the boy was feeling. ten had a habit of getting too into his own head, he was often scared of coming across too strongly. his wit masked his introverted personality, johnny had the honour of meeting both sides of ten within the span of 10 minutes. he didn’t know why his all mental bridges were being temporarily burnt with one interaction, but he certainly wasn’t complaining.

“and in turn, i’m sorry if i made you uncomfortable with my staring. it was probably really creepy.” 

“silly boy, being watched from a distance is only creepy if the person doing it isn’t cute” ten corrected. 

“remind me to have a long conversation with you about how that’s dangerous on every single level.” 

“give me your number so you can rant at me later?”

ten is smooth johnny thought. who knew the boy he’d been drooling over would have one of the most dimensional personalities he’d ever met. ten was a treat. 

johnny took his phone out from the pocket of his long coat and handed it to ten. he prayed the thief narrative he thought of earlier didn’t come true, the thought of buying a new phone made him want to start bawling on the spot. luckily, ten handed his phone back leaving a new contact which was decorated with a yellow heart and a plant emoji. cute.

johnny knew they couldn’t stay in the tesco smoking area forever, he also knew he couldn’t invite ten over that quickly. the two boys shared a knowing glance and johnny beckoned ten to follow him. they walked shoulder to shoulder to the edge of the car park in an oddly comfortable silence. the only sound that could be heard was the clunking of ten’s docs. the noise helped to keep johnny somewhat grounded in this dreamlike situation.

“which way are you walking? i’m going this way, if you are too, maybe i could walk you home?” johnny asked, pointing in the direction of his room.

to johnny’s despair, ten pointed the other way. despite his incessant pleading, ten denied johnny’s offer of walking him home anyways. as much as he wanted johnny to kiss him sweetly on his doorstep, he figured maybe it’d be sweeter to save that for their first date (ten was already planning ahead.) 

“message me soon, okay? none of that wait three days before texting crap, promise me johhny!” ten held out his pinky finger.

“if you think i’ve waited all these months for this, just to put it off further, you would be mistaken! i’m not a masochist.” 

was he supposed to kiss ten goodbye? sure, they shared a moment earlier, but was that purely adrenaline driven? as a comprise, he reached down and grabbed tens hand. it looked doll-like in johnnys noticeably bigger palm. he pressed a lingering kiss to his knuckle, a gesture full of promises for the future and excitement in the present. he waved ten off (who was smiling giddily) and turned away.

the walk back to his room was full of ten thoughts. as john mayer sang quietly through his headphones, he thought about how ready he was to bring ten into his world with open arms. ten had been a part of his life for a long time now, through not so subtle glances and instagram stalking sessions. he couldn’t contain his excitement at the fact he could finally be something more. 

god bless tesco, they invented meal deals and romance. truly carrying our nation on their backs, johnny laughed to himself. maybe the absurdity of the situation was getting to his head. 

one of the first things johnny did upon arriving home was send ten a message, he was a man of his word after all. who would he be to deny ten a speedy text?

johnny: tesco’s is full of fresh produce, you make me produce serotonin <3   
johnny: (it’s johnny btw!)  
ten: is our relationship going to be one big tesco’s brand deal?   
johnny: yes. i take my profession very seriously.  
ten: lol, i’ll put up with it, but only because it’s you.  
johnny: ouch. spillage in aisle 12. aisle 12 is my heart, there’s been a spillage in my heart because you melted it!  
ten: actually…. you’re on thin ice.  
johnny: i’m too good at these.. someone come (click &) collect me!  
ten: you’re so lucky you’re cute.  
johnny: see you normal time tomorrow?   
ten: you really do watch me huh?  
johnny: guilty as charged   
ten: i’m going to buy restricted items just so you can come help me ;)  
johnny: better get there before the johnny fanclub babe, they’re tough competition  
ten: the what?!?!?!?!!??

without a doubt, johnny would choose ten over them. he frankly couldn’t care about the teasing he’d surely receive from yuta the next day for “freaking it up in the smoke zone.” if taeil checks the security cameras and projects a video of him and ten to the whole break room, oh well! he couldn’t be happier with how things had surprisingly worked out, or more excited to see where him and ten would go on further. seriously who did he sell his soul to?

if you’d have told closeted, 16 year old johnny that working at tesco’s would bring him a dream boy like ten, he would’ve applied earlier.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! i might do a sequel of their first date, so leave something below if you’d like that!! 
> 
> here’s a little playlist of songs that make me think of this fic <3 https://music.apple.com/gb/playlist/fic/pl.u-76oNzg3IvvXZze


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